UID Nameplates – DoD’s Way of Uniquely Identifying Defense Items

Imagine being one of the people responsible for the supplies procured by the US Armed Services. What sorts of supplies does the Department of Defense (DoD) have to track on a daily basis? Consider the sheer number of uniforms, boots, packs, helmets, hats, patches, belt buckles, and boxed goods the military must keep track of. Besides these items, the DoD must track its weapons, ammunition, and other highly sensitive materials. At any given time, as a matter of national security, the military must know where these items are, how many they have, and that the items comply with DoD standards. How do they do it?

To facilitate the tracking of their supplies, the military has developed a set of standards known as Mil Specs, or MIL-STD. Within these standards, there exists a specific standard known as MIL-STD-130N, which outlines how the military is to mark, identify, and track military property.

Each item of military property is marked with UID nameplates, tags, or labels to identify it. UID is a more generic term that refers generally to the “Government Program of Uniquely Identifying Items”. An IUID is the “item unique identifier”, and refers to the actual number or character string that an item is stamped with to identify it. UID nameplates, then, are nameplates attached to a given item that has a barcode or similar computerized code that is used to track that particular piece of property. In some ways, UID nameplates are not different than the barcodes placed on consumer goods used to track retail inventory. In other ways, UID nameplates are vastly different.

Basic Rules for UID Nameplates, Labels, and Tags

According to MIL-STD-130N, UID nameplates, labels, or tags should be placed in a location where they will be visible and easy to read. Furthermore, the IUID must be placed on stiff plastic or metal, making the UID nameplates more durable and resistant to damage that would prevent its code from being machine-readable. Given that the item may be shipped, roughly handled, or exposed to variations in temperature, the UID nameplates must be able to withstand various environmental conditions.

To make UID nameplates easily readable, recommended nameplate or label size for text is 0.2 cm, 0.08 in, or 5.76 pts. To comply with the MIL-STD-130N, all text on UID nameplates must be in a san-serif font, which includes but is not limited to Arial, Trebuchet, and Futura. Additionally, to keep the size of UID nameplates reasonably small, the amount of text is limited to 50 characters.

Don't Rely Upon an Amateur Understanding

As can be seen from the brief outline of MIL-STD-130N above, correctly creating and implementing UID nameplates, labels, and tags is not simple. To be in compliance with all the Mil Specs, it is wise to turn to the experts at Jet City Laser, who have years of experience working within the boundaries of these standards.